IN his record 12th French Open quarterfinal, Novak Djokovic will face a man he knows well, even if the rest of the world does not.

What a tale Marco Cecchinato can tell, though. He is a 25-year-old from Sicily who once was handed a match-fixing suspension that later was thrown out on appeal. His tour-level career record was 4-23 before this season. His Grand Slam record was 0-4 before last week.

Yet here he is, earning the right to face Djokovic for a spot in the semifinals at Roland Garros by eliminating the No. 8-seeded David Goffin 7-5, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 Sunday.

How surprising is this run? Cecchinato’s ranking of No. 72 is the lowest in a decade for a man in the final eight at the French Open.

Asked whether he could have envisioned, even as recently as April, that he would get this far at a major tournament, Cecchinato answered with one word, “No,” before breaking into as wide a smile as can be.

“For me,” he continued, “this is the best moment of my life.”

Cecchinato and Djokovic, who meet today, have crossed paths often in Monte Carlo. Djokovic, a 12-time major champion, lives there; Cecchinato has worked on his game at an academy there.

“I have known of him for many years,” Djokovic said after his 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 30 Fernando Verdasco. “I know now his game and I practiced with him. I watched him play. For sure, he’s playing the tennis of his life.”

Yes, Djokovic was thrilled to get back to a ninth consecutive quarterfinal in Paris after dealing with elbow trouble for more than a year and needing surgery in February. And in other men’s action Sunday, No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev was relieved to win a third consecutive five-setter — after trailing 2-1 in sets each time — to get to his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, where he will face No. 8 Dominic Thiem.

(SD-Agencies)